Anxiety biases audiovisual processing of social signals

Heffer, Naomi; Karl, Anke; Jicol, Crescent; Ashwin, Chris; Petrini, Karin

doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113346

Cited by 3 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…The findings showed that enhanced multisensory processing of threat from faces and voices predicted more intrusions after induced trauma. This result was in line with our predictions based on existing research in high trait anxiety, which has shown that individuals with high anxiety levels show enhanced multisensory facilitation effects for angry faces and voices (Heffer et al 2021(Heffer et al , 2022. In the current study, participants who showed greater accuracy for angry stimuli in the audiovisual congruent condition compared to the unimodal (i.e.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…A score of 0 indicated no bias, positive scores indicated a bias towards interpreting displays as threatening/negative, and negative scores indicated a bias away from interpreting displays as threatening/negative. The use of this parameter in the analysis is in line with the methods of a number of relevant studies (Collignon et al 2008;Piwek et al 2015;Heffer et al 2021). This was a measure of emotional, rather than attentional, bias, as not all emotions were represented in all incongruent stimuli.…”

Section: Multisensory Emotion Recognition Taskmentioning

confidence: 75%

“…2.4 Statistical Analysis). This estimate was based on previous research in trait anxiety which has shown that of the many multisensory processes that have been investigated, only a small number have been found to be significantly related to trait anxiety levels (Koizumi et al 2011;Heffer et al 2021Heffer et al , 2022. We were unable to recruit to target because of COVID-related laboratory closures in March 2020, which meant that the attained sample was only sufficiently powered to detect medium-to-large effects.…”

Section: Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This task was used to measure accuracy in judging emotion from audiovisual stimuli, as well as potential biases towards negative and/or threatening interpretations of ambiguous stimuli, and a measure of multisensory integration ability. Based on previous research in individuals with high trait anxiety (Koizumi et al 2011;Heffer et al 2021Heffer et al , 2022, we expected that selectively enhanced multisensory integration of threat-relevant information would result in increased intrusions, but that an overall tendency towards more effective multisensory integration of emotional information would result in fewer intrusions, due to better elaboration of trauma memories as a result of more effective integration.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Multisensory processing of emotional cues predicts intrusive memories after virtual reality trauma

et al. 2023

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Research has shown that high trait anxiety can alter multisensory processing of threat cues (by amplifying integration of angry faces and voices); however, it remains unknown whether differences in multisensory processing play a role in the psychological response to trauma. This study examined the relationship between multisensory emotion processing and intrusive memories over seven days following exposure to an analogue trauma in a sample of 55 healthy young adults. We used an adapted version of the trauma film paradigm, where scenes showing a car accident trauma were presented using virtual reality, rather than a conventional 2D film. Multisensory processing was assessed prior to the trauma simulation using a forced choice emotion recognition paradigm with happy, sad and angry voice-only, face-only, audiovisual congruent (face and voice expressed matching emotions) and audiovisual incongruent expressions (face and voice expressed different emotions). We found that increased accuracy in recognising anger (but not happiness and sadness) in the audiovisual condition relative to the voice- and face-only conditions was associated with more intrusions following VR trauma. Despite previous results linking trait anxiety and intrusion development, no significant influence of trait anxiety on intrusion frequency was observed. Enhanced integration of threat-related information (i.e. angry faces and voices) could lead to overly threatening appraisals of stressful life events and result in greater intrusion development after trauma.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Multisensory Emotion Recognition Taskmentioning

confidence: 75%

Section: Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Multisensory processing of emotional cues predicts intrusive memories after virtual reality trauma

et al. 2023

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“…That means that "the mechanism of recognition of emotion in ludic platforms such as the videogame does have a strong appeal on how children can relieve their stress and also create empathy with other peers even while they are having fun" (Heffer at. al., 2021, p. 07) [21].…”

Section: The Problem and The Solution In The Same Side Of The Coin: V...mentioning

confidence: 97%

Videogame Education as an Anxiety Treatment between Middle-Year Students Post-Covid 19

Tosi

2023

OJER

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The present article seeks to provoke a discussion into how video games can be used in anxiety treatments and social stimulation tools among middle-year students and children of that same age. To do so, we initially start this article by reflecting on how the covid-19 pandemic disparate all anxiety alerts in our society including mental health issues such as depression and special anxiety disorders. Then we compare how the numbers of anxiety among children and young adults were already alarming before the lockdowns imposition and the social distance measures, especially in urban centers. This rising anxiety condition can be felt especially in the years that followed the social isolation of children especially because their social connection and recognition were just starting to grow and to establish important connections between their peers in-person and in virtual environments, throwing light on how to screen media and children`s homes are related with the anxiety increase and how we can investigate that phenomenon without succumbing to excessive positivism to today`s technology or to a deconstructive pessimism that leads us to distrust those media that are already in contact with middle-year students and children`s in that same age. To do so, we will resort to philosophical tools such as Edusemiotics and Cultural Studies to understand how games such as Minecraft and Roblox can be used in school environments to help students and teachers manage anxiety levels and surpass socialization issues past covid-19 lockdowns. To finish our reflection we also bring some data related to how those same media and games helped middle-year students to surpass social isolation and family disconnection during the pandemic while their kept exercising school content in those games, sharing and debating with their peers on virtual platforms.

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High trait anxiety enhances optimal integration of auditory and visual threat cues

Heffer

Gradidge

Karl

et al. 2022

Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry

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Anxiety biases audiovisual processing of social signals

Cited by 3 publications

References 74 publications

Multisensory processing of emotional cues predicts intrusive memories after virtual reality trauma

Multisensory processing of emotional cues predicts intrusive memories after virtual reality trauma

Videogame Education as an Anxiety Treatment between Middle-Year Students Post-Covid 19

High trait anxiety enhances optimal integration of auditory and visual threat cues

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